Ignorance

Thank you so much for the info, guys! My mind with a doubt is like a dog with a bone - it just won't let go! I had read this explanation on how the light bulbs work http://science.howstuffworks.com/fluorescent-lamp2.htm but then I started wondering about the rest. I'm feeling a lot better now, hehe! Ps - mmmm.... yeah, the article did say low pressure in sealed tube... My attention span is pathetic...

I'm sure this is a really stupid question but I have always sucked at sciences so bear with me. ^^; I've been wondering if there's any chance mercury vapour could leak out of an unbroken fluorescent light bulb - or, if that were to happen, the light bulb would just never work because by then it would have nothing inside?